Crazy in Suburbia, one the most influential Walnut Creek blogs online, has featured this blog, Beyond the Creek, on one of their posts over the weekend. The writer, Martha Ross, has written for Diablo Magazine and been editor of Walnut Creek Patch previously. The posts on Crazy in Suburbia are always well written and thoughtful, so it’s an incredible honor to be featured there.
Looks like H&M may have been on to something by closing the bathrooms after all, as reported on Thursday. Turns out that the Walnut Creek police arrested 3 people who were caught running out of H&M with a “large amount of clothing in their arms”. According to the police bulletin:
The officer watched the three subjects get into a nearby waiting vehicle. As he pulled up behind the car, one person got out of the vehicle and ran away on Duncan Street toward Main Street. Another subject in the vehicle attempted to flee on foot but was detained in the car with three other people. The officer saw numerous clothing items strewn about the car with security sensors still attached. An employee of nearby H & M identified several of the detained individuals as having just come from their store. Approximately $1000 worth of clothing was recovered and found to have been stolen from H & M.
Police are still looking for the 4th suspect:
He is described as a black male in his 20’s or 30’s, wearing a cap and a blue striped shirt. The subject also had some type of piercing between his cheekbone and his eye.
The second grab and run incident happened at Nordstroms Saturday night around 8:30 pm. This one was more serious and involved some shoppers who attempted to stop them from escaping. According to the Walnut Creek police report:
Witnesses told officers Black and an unidentified female entered Nordstrom and selected armloads of high-end purses. They ran from the store with the purses setting off a security sensor alarm. Black pushed past customers entering the store as he fled. A customer tried to grab Black’s arm and Black pepper sprayed him in the face. A second passerby tackled Black as he ran toward a waiting vehicle. Black attempted to pepper spray him as well so he struck Black several times in self defense. The two fought for a few moments until other citizens and a Loss Prevention Officer arrived to help detain Black. Officers recovered a knife, a can of pepper spray and several burglary tools from Black when he was arrested.
Two of the good samaritans were treated at the scene for minor injuries and released.
Over $10,000 worth of high-end purses were recovered and returned to Nordstrom.
This reminds me of the flash mob robberies that are being coordinated via social media, and certainly bolder than the quiet shoplifting incidents that involves slipping an item or two under one’s clothing. I wonder what I would have done had I been shopping at these stores at the time. Would I have had the gumption to get involved? Unless someone’s life is being threatened maybe it would have been better to just call 911? What would you have done in this situation?
ØL Beercafe & Bottle Shop is only a few months old, tucked away on Giammona Drive in Walnut Creek, next to Skipolini’s Pizzeria. This place takes their beer very seriously. You can even check out exactly what’s on tap online.
This is just part of their beer selection. “100s of bottles, 18 taps”. Focusing on independent brewers, they offer both domestic and foreign, with a particular focus on Belgium brews. When I inquired about Lambics the bartender showed me at least 5 different types of Lambic.
In addition to beer, they offer cheese plates, and other small dishes. You can even order a Skipolini’s pizza right from your table. The bartender also mentioned if you bring in a bagged lunch from outside they’ll take $1 off a draft. Sounds like a good deal for office workers nearby.
If you’re wondering why Walnut Creek, it turns out one of the owners of the highly regarded Oakland bar The Trappist lives in Walnut Creek. Anyone check this place out yet?
If you ever strolled down N. Main St. in Walnut Creek, this clock probably caught your eye, and newcomers might wonder what a jewelery clock is doing across from a coffee shop. According to Brad Rovanpera’s book – “Walnut Creek, An Illustrated History”:
On Aug. 27, 1947, Pete Rinehart opened a jewelry and gift shop at 1632 Main St, across from the El Rey Theatre, In fornt of his store he placed an Art Moderne-style clock that remained Rinehart’s trademark until the store closed in March 2007. The clock was a fixture for nearly 60 years and was in many of the photos taken of the Walnut Festival Parades. Pete Rinehart built and owned the whole building.
Thanks goes out to the Walnut Creek Historical Society for this information.
In the end a Saxby coffee shop ended up taking over Rinehart’s Jewlery store. Apparently the Rineharts still own the building and the son rents it out. And the clock remains as a reminder of Walnut Creek past.
A year ago there was a Persian restaurant called Bijan at this location, and then 6 months ago C U Sushi opened at 1690 Locust St. (towards Target) in Walnut Creek, in addition to their Berkeley location. This is a Korean owned sushi place. Any fans?
This Walnut Creek location is turning into one hip place. Stay tuned this week for posts highlighting two great bars around each side of C U Sushi, one wine, one bar, that may convince you to check out this side of downtown more often.
Update: Thanks to the commenter for noting that the restaurant Bijan was Persian, not Turkish.
These are the bathrooms on the second floor of H&M in Walnut Creek. Notice the keycode panel on them? Think you can ask an employee for the code to use it? Think again. According to one employee I spoke with they have been closed due to shoplifting incidents that took place in there, and are now only available to store personnel. Luckily there was a small boy near me at the time and they made an exception for the boy. Otherwise, tough luck.
This is the inside of the H&M clothing store in Walnut Creek, something you will most likely not see. The nearest bathroom is around the corner on the second floor of Restoration Hardware.
Spotted next to Havana Cuban restaurant on Bonanza St. in Walnut Creek.
The sign at the Target parking lot on Sundays states, PLEASE NO FARMERS’ MARKET PARKING. And sure enough, here is a chalk marker (albeit on a different day) marking cars on the Target parking lot:
Looks like they’re cracking down. I would make sure you leave within the allotted time, I believe 2 hours. I don’t see what the problem is, parking is in short supply in that farmer’s market location, and it will bring more business and good will to Target as plenty of people will head to Target afterwards.
This rental is located at 1200 Newell Hill Place in Walnut Creek.
The Craigslist ad says:
2 Bedroom
Newell Vista Apartment Homes is proudly managed by FPI Management. We are located next to wonderful downtown Walnut Creek. Newell Vista is in walking distance to a variety of premier dining and retail shops. We offer a variety of floor plans and amenities that meet a wide range of tastes and needs. Pets are welcome! The apartment amenities range from Air Conditioning, Wall to Wall Carpet, Ceiling Fans, Garbage disposals, Dishwashers and Patios or Balconies. The Community Amenities include Elevator, Fitness Center, Parking Garage, Garden Style Setting, On-Site Laundry Facilities, Sparkling Pool,and views. There are Studios, One Bedrooms, Townhouses and more!
This 2br goes for $1575/month. Looking at the map it looks like it would be quite a walk to downtown but doable. Is this a good deal?
Check out the scene at Walnut Creek on Ice over the weekend. Crowded, expensive but fun.
Some difference from past years are that they don’t offer double bladed skates for really young kids. Kids 3 and under are free. McCovey’s has a stand selling real food, and there are more places to site around the rink. Skate time is a maximum of 2 hours. It can get extremely crowded so you may want to check out the video cam to see how crowded it is.